TEXAS TO OHIO

TEXAS to OHIO

Preamble

I arrived back in the US from 3 months in the UK at the end of last week, driving up to Jackson Center from Nashville, TN, where the truck had been stored while I was away.

It took me a good part of Saturday to get the Airstream back together, both ends of the rig having been emptied to allow the hail damage repair work required on both end sections of the roof - and a couple of smaller items tucked away still haven't been unearthed...!

Unfortunately, but inevitably, the repair work had resulted in some slight collateral damage that I felt the need to report to my Airstream tech contact once they were open for business after the Labor Day weekend.

A very positive "that's below our standards" response had most things fixed within a day with the one outstanding item - my table modifications - due to be addressed once a new table leg arrived.

Lowering the table hardware attachment points had revealed some very minor scratches on the aluminum sidewall.

And although I could have lived with this the service advisor was adamant that the wall sheet should be replaced... requiring all the furniture (overhead cabinets and dinette) to be removed.

With completion of the work continuing into Thursday, my departure south now postponed one more day - fortunately, a converted Airstream a 90-second walk from the Airstream service center meant I could still get a decent morning coffee even while work was being done on my trailer.

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Friday, September 5, 2025 - Jackson Center, OH, to Georgetown, KY

Rather slow heading out from the Airstream Factory Service Center first thing in the morning - although before most of the attendees of the Airstream owners "Alumapalooza" gathering were up and about - as I was getting back into the routine of preparing for the road, hitching up the Airstream and setting all towing parameters in the truck.

Drove 30 minutes south on I-75 to Piqua and the Planet Fitness gym there for a workout, rewarded with a Starbucks coffee and breakfast sandwich (store conveniently located over the road from the gym).

Then, suitably fortified, across town to a Kroger grocery store to top up supplies before getting back onto I-75 south for the 3-hour drive to an overnight campground stop - chosen in preference to a free parking option further on due to the need to plug into shore power to run the A/C extensively to cool the Airstream and as overnight rain would linger into the morning and mean a late departure.

Saturday, September 6, 2025 - Georgetown, KY, to Lexington, KY

Overnight rain was light, as were the intermittent sprinkles during the morning.

But as this was still enough to make the roads damp, I opted to drive 5 miles back to the junction with I-75 where there was a truck stop with a CAT scale to allow me to weigh the rig, fuel up the truck and then park up for a while to let the lingering sprinkles move out.

Three separate scale weight measurements needed to allow me to calculate the individual weights of a) the truck; b) the Airstream; c) the tongue weight of the Airstream on the truck.

In the event, I stayed parked up in a quiet corner of the truck stop for most of the afternoon, the damp weather taking time to fully clear and the truck stop WiFi allowing me to work online booking up campgrounds for the week ahead.

A final short drive down I-75 at the end of the afternoon brought me to the Cabela's store in Lexington, where I was readily given permission to stay overnight.

Sunday, September 7, 2025 - Lexington, KY, to Clinton, TN

Up just after sunrise in the Cabela's parking lot for the short drive into Lexington to the Planet Fitness gym, Starbucks coffee and breakfast sandwich afterwards (substantially the longest wait ever for coffee, in a Starbucks store with no seating) then onto I-75 south once again.

Pulled over at the Tennessee Welcome Center after a couple of hours' driving to make lunch, then a final 45-minutes to Clinton (near Knoxville) where I filled up the truck before heading into the adjacent campground and getting set up for the night.

My Starlink antenna set-up routine had an NFL game playing on TV with little delay after my arrival.

Monday, September 8, 2025 - Clinton, TN, to Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains, TN

Good night's sleep, I-75 just about far enough away to not be bothersome.

A little desk work while I had the Starlink internet connection up and running, then dumped tanks and tried to calculate 40-50% in the fresh water tank for the four nights ahead "off grid" (hard to be certain with the Airstream not exactly level).

Out of the campground at 10:15am, directly onto I-75 for the first stop at the Knoxville Airstream dealer to look at a 2026 Trade Wind 25 - a couple of feet longer than my 23 but with a different internal layout, for which there are the usual pros and cons.

Made coffee after the dealership visit and before driving a few miles for a grocery top-up, then onto the main drive of the day, through extended road works and rough road surfaces.

Stopped on the way out of Townsend for a Subway sandwich lunch, then wound my way up the road beside the Little River to Cades Cove, checking in at the friendly ranger station for my two-night stay at the very modest total of $30 thanks to my Senior Lifetime Pass.

Set up in the campsite in the woods, struggling to get anything usable from the Starlink antenna due to tree cover.

Out at 5:30pm to tackle the 11-mile Cades Cove Loop Drive and its frustratingly slow drivers who will stop to view animals as mundane as horses... although I did see wild turkeys, deer, a black bear mother with two cubs and a coyote walking nonchalantly across the road in front of me and then past me.

Late afternoon sun not the best angle for photos of the churches or the mill at the visitor center, confirming that a second run tomorrow late morning would be better.

Wednesday will be the early morning loop tour, on my bike as the road is bikes only on Wednesdays through the end of September.

A quiet evening in the Airstream with no TV or internet available.

Tuesday, September 9, 2025 - Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains, TN

A cloudy start to the day, so not much missed by not heading out first thing.

Did a little processing of yesterday's photos, strolled over to the NPS pavilion to hook up to their WiFi and check e-mails, had morning coffee and then headed out on the loop drive, bringing a lunch sandwich with me.

Partly cloudy, so quite a lot of waiting around for the sun to break through - and people to step out of shot - for photos. Back to the campground at 2:30pm for some chores to be checked off and to get the mountain bike out and ready for tomorrow morning's loop ride.

Set up the Starlink in the hope of getting a connection and, despite the obstruction of the tree canopy, I managed to get intermittent service and made do with that for some desk work and, rather surprisingly, it even managed to support some evening streaming of Netflix.

Wednesday, September 10, 2025 - Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains, TN, to Smokemont, NC

Up at 6:30am to prepare for the loop ride, after the Airstream interior had been nicely warmed by 15 minutes of furnace running.

Out onto the Cades Cove loop road just after 7:30am, on a very misty morning. A surprising number of walkers out on the loop, as well as people on bikes, predominantly e-bikes.

Stopped by the churches on the loop and at the mill at the Visitor Center, completing the 11-mile loop a little before 9:00am... and decided to head around a second time to try to catch the mist lifting and therefore some better photos. Not entirely sure this succeeded but it sure was a workout.

Cleaned up back at the Airstream, made coffee and then headed out just after 11:00am for the drive back down the winding road alongside Laurel Creel, skirting Gatlinburg and continuing on the long anti-clockwise loop around the eastern end of the GSM, occasioned by the closure of Route 441 which would have taken me right over the mountain to the Smokemont campground.

Finished the drive on the final 12 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway, arriving at the Smokemont campground just before 5:00pm - via a quick stop at Mingus Mill - having to do a good deal of juggling to get comfortably set up in the narrow pull-through campsite.

Rather surprisingly, my Starlink antenna managed to connect with passing satellites intermittently despite the considerable tree cover - so I got to pull down e-mails plus an hour's TV viewing before falling into bed early due to loop-cycling and driving weariness.

Thursday, September 11, 2025 - Smokemont Campground, Great Smoky Mountains, NC

Too weary to chase sunset photos last night, but up at 5:50am this morning to chase sunrise photos up at Clingman's Dome - as was, now apparently known by the Indian name of Kowahi.

Marched breathlessly up the half-mile climb to the observation platform just as the sun cleared the horizon. Rather surprisingly, I was the only person there.

But as the building wind was blowing mist up and over the mountain top, dimming the rising sun, any further photo opportunities were limited so I headed back down to the campground, stopping at the ranger station to negotiate a switch to a different campsite (with a clearer view of the sky).

Enjoyed an early, and warming, coffee before taking advantage of the better Starlink connection to get some desk work done - including booking campgrounds ahead for this weekend and the early part of next week. Couldn't resist a second coffee midday, which rather threw off my routine, so skipped lunch and headed into Cherokee to pick up a Subway sandwich for tomorrow, spoil myself with a mediocre - and expensive - ice cream and gas up the truck.

Late afternoon, and for the second time today, I drove the 20 miles up Route 441 to Kowahi to see what sunset might have to offer.

As timings clashed with my usual 6:00pm routine - a beverage, non-alcoholic during the week, and chips to mark the transition from "workday" to evening relaxation - I took a Guinness 0.0, Doritos and a bag salad with me.

Some low cloud cover threatened to make sunset a non-event but fortunately it opened up enough for some sunlight to break through.

Back to the campground, and so to bed...

Friday, September 12, 2025 - Smokemont Campground to Penrose, NC

Up a little earlier today for the drive up to Kowahi, arriving in plenty of time to watch the golden pre-dawn as well as catching the moment of sunrise itself.

Repeating the weather conditions of yesterday morning, the building breeze offered a rather narrow window for photography.

Although the sky immediately overhead remained clear, waves of mist were blown up from the valleys and over the top of the mountain, blocking out the growing strength of the sun.

Although I waited for 15 minutes to see if visibility might improve, repeated waves of mist suggested this would last for some time (and a view back from half way down duly showed the mist "cap" still on the mountain top).

So back down the 20-mile drive to the campground, got shaved and showered, made coffee and got out on the road at 11:00am, making a "good-bye" stop at Mingus Mill, then turning onto the Blue Ridge Parkway to partially retrace my steps from a couple of days ago onto Route 19, then onto I-40, I-26 and then the very familiar Route 280 towards Brevard.

Took the slightly longer route past the mountain bike shops I've used for bike servicing in the past, along Route 64 and into the campground, arriving at 2:15pm.

I had managed to add somewhat to the battery bank from driving and the day's strong sunlight - depleted to 46% by this morning, after 4 days not being plugged in and with minimal contribution from the solar panels due to cloud cover - but the shore power hook-up at the campsite was required to get things back to 100%, a process that took some 3 ½ hours, the A/C also running most of that time.

Caught up on some admin and did some photo clean-up, and then settled in for my Friday evening, cracking a cold Pisgagh IPA to mark the start of the weekend.

Saturday, September 13, 2025 - Penrose, NC

Early start to give a light breakfast time to digest before mountain biking on my favorite trails in Dupont State Forest, a convenient 10-minute drive from the campground.

Very misty in the valley where the campground is located but clear on the trails, last ridden 12 months ago.

Partly as I haven't ridden for four months and partly as my legs don't quite have the power and stamina, or my lungs the capacity, that they used to have, it was a tough ride. And the fast upper sections of the two downhill trails (Hooker Creek and Ridgeway) getting a little rough and rocky, though the long lower sections still mostly smooth and flowing - the reason I'm riding here.

A quiet day after the ride, a little Airstream storage reorganization and some desk work re-working and triaging photos from the previous days in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Sunday, September 14, 2025 - Penrose, NC

An even earlier start to my mountain biking this morning in an attempt to be finished and back in decent cell coverage by 10:00am for a video chat with my sisters visiting my mother in her care home.

An even tougher day's riding - same trails but inevitably feeling the effects of having ridden yesterday. I did, however, manage to "clean" the rock garden at the beginning of Jim Branch (on my fourth attempt - very satisfying to check that box, always a rare thing when riding here previously).

A quiet balance of the day - a little Airstream clean-up, finishing photo work and catching a couple of American football games.

Monday, September 15, 2025 - Penrose, NC, to Twin Lakes, Pendleton, SC

Slow to get going and get things out of the way this morning so didn't roll out of the campground until 11:00am, about an hour later than intended.

A 30-minute drive into Hendersonville to the Planet Fitness gym, finding the parking lot there packed, as was the adjacent Ingles parking lot, except for a 5-6 space slot away from the store on an access road. Managed to do a little parallel parking with the Airstream to get tucked in there and then walked back to the gym.

Weights and abs routine, skipping the 30-minute bike ride as I had put in plenty of cardio effort mountain biking over the previous two days.

As it was late, and I was hungry, I abandoned the plan for coffee and bagel in the Airstream and indulged in a second day's coffee and (very late) breakfast sandwich at the Starbucks franchise store in Ingles before walking a few blocks to a Publix, though disappointed not to find the tarragon chicken salad that was the main attraction of heading there.

Then on the road out of town, pulling off at a convenient Lowes at 2:15pm for lunch before the final 30-minute drive to the Twin Lakes campground and a tight shuffle back into my very attractive spot right next to the lake...

...though chosen more for the more open tree cover to the north for better Starlink reception.

Final preparations and timings agreed for tomorrow morning's installation of "bed trestles" and for the collection of the Froli bed system kits (the package that wasn't delivered to me in Jackson Center) from the distributor's warehouse in Charleston later in the week.

Heavy rain, unexpected, early evening with a few sprinkles overnight also.

Tuesday, September 16, 2025 - Twin Lakes, Pendleton, SC

Decks cleared after breakfast to facilitate the installation of the bed trestles in the Airstream, designed to offer full support to the inboard edge of the single bed mattresses - something of a short-coming in the trailer design recognized by many owners (apparently 24 trailers retrofitted at a recent Airstream rally according to the guy who came to do the installation).

On putting the mattresses back on the new bed bases I noticed that the "curb side" trestle was about an inch further back and, being me, decided I probably would get irritated by this over time even though it had no functional implications.

So I dove into the back of the truck, collected necessary drills and torx head bits, unscrewed and reinstalled the trestle, adjusted so that both bed bases now matched.

Unearthing my pop rivet gun while accessing tools reminded me of a rivet that needed replacing in the bedroom ceiling, so got that done, too.

Once all cleared up it was time for late morning coffee.

Most of the balance of the day on admin items and research on my route and possible overnight stops after visiting Savannah.

Wednesday, September 17, 2025 - Twin Lakes, Pendleton, SC, to Irmo, SC

Another very quiet night beside the lake here, desk work, coffee late morning and out of the campground at 12:30pm, making an initial stop after 30 minutes at a truck stop to check weight and weight distribution on CAT scales after installation of bed trestles and moving of some dried goods a little further towards the tongue of the trailer.

Had lunch before getting back on the road, pulling over an hour later at a rest stop where I managed to find a spot of shade to park the Airstream, the A/C having been running since the truck stop and eating into the battery bank.

A final hour's drive to the Cracker Barrel in Irmo, a conveniently short drive off I-26 but not so close that you can hear the traffic. Dedicated RV parking marginally too short for comfort, so moved over to the side of the parking lot where I was also able to find some shade.

Shrimp skillet dinner in Cracker Barrel, lukewarm, maybe to avoid lawsuits about burned lips...!

On retiring, I noticed the sound of construction work adjacent to the parking lot, which continued until 4:00am... Had I known this I would have moved to the other side of the lot but instead endured a somewhat interrupted night's sleep.

Thursday, September 18, 2025 - Irmo, SC, to Mount Pleasant, SC

A short drive with the Airstream to the Planet Fitness gym in Irmo, full workout despite lack of sleep.

Moved to the adjacent Target parking lot to pick up a couple of storage bins (for some storage realignment in the Airstream), back 200 yards to Publix for grocery top-up (including the much-prized and sought-after tarragon chicken salad) and back to Target as Publix didn't have a Starbucks franchise in store...

Eventually on the road after this to and fro, heading down I-26, detouring to a warehouse on the outskirts of Mount Pleasant to collect the "Froli" bed kits that had failed to connect with me at the Airstream factory service center two weeks' ago. A final 10 miles to the KOA campground, checking in at 2:30pm.

Some faffing around during the afternoon, too overheated and weary to start my laundry going, out at 5:00pm to the nearby Lowes for a couple of items and then settled in for an evening that ended with an early retirement to bed.

Friday, September 19, 2025 - Mount Pleasant, SC

My early bed routine resulted in me waking early morning and struggling to get back to sleep and so feeling a little sluggish when waking for good at 6:45am.

Into Charleston to meander the historic part of town, Tradd Street especially, before the heat became too much and early enough in the day for the sun to be shining mostly down the east-west orientation of the street and thus illuminating the house fronts on the north side.

Once done with meandering and camera-wielding, I walked up to the Starbucks on Meeting Street on the corner with the Madison Square park where I sat in the shade and enjoyed my coffee and blueberry muffin.

After which I walked back to the (very tight for F-150s) parking garage and drove back to Mount Pleasant and the campground, had lunch and contemplated the afternoon's projects...

...of which only one got (mostly) completed, the installation of the Froli mattress support system on top of the new bed trestles.

Another 30-minute project that took hours...

Saturday, September 20, 2025 - Mount Pleasant, SC, to Yemassee, SC

Out at 8:30am to Shem Creek Boardwalk, a location recommended to me to catch views of fishing boats.

Not actually particularly interesting - a newish boardwalk, populated this Saturday morning by groups of sweaty, slow runners and bands of little pickers.

Stopped on the way back to the campground for a gas fill and grocery top-up at Harris Teeter (one of the south-eastern US store chains I always look forward to visiting), hooked up the truck and retired to the cool interior of the Airstream for coffee before dumping tanks and heading out, right on the official checkout deadline of noon.

A straight drive down to the KOA campground in Yemassee, having decided that overnight comfort (aka unlimited A/C) was a priority given the hot and humid weather.

Unhooked the Airstream, had lunch, then drove down to Beaufort for some wandering around the old part of downtown.

Rounded out the afternoon with a tasty cappuccino chocolate chip ice-cream, sucked down as quickly as possible in the heat to minimize melted ice-cream running down my hand.

Back to the campground, hooking up the truck to the Airstream to prepare for an early and uncomplicated departure tomorrow morning.

Sunday, September 21, 2025 - Yemassee, SC, to Fort McAllister State Park, GA

Rain, somewhat unexpectedly, yesterday evening so everything wet this morning and lots of pine needles washed down onto the Airstream and truck.

Out a little before 8:00am for the 30-minute drive to Planet Fitness in Beaufort, probably the smallest PF gym I have visited, so occasional wait for free equipment.

Cleaned up in the Airstream in the parking lot, made coffee, and on the road just before midday for the drive into Savannah, parking on a shady residential street to the west of Forsyth Park to have a mouthful of lunch...

...but decided, after a scouting walk, to move over a couple of blocks to the wider W Gwinnett St.

Headed into town via the famous Forsyth Park fountain which had no water in it, due to renovations, the new paint shining a bright white in the early afternoon sun.

Strolled down Bull Street and through the multiple squares and their grand architecture en route to the Savannah waterfront, just in time to watch the Georgia Belle pulling into the dock from a cruise on the river.

Returned the same way to the Airstream, covering 3 miles in total on the walk, then headed out to Fort McAllister State Park - a decision made late morning while researching options over coffee as the weather remains unbearably hot, requiring much running of the A/C, and the forecast is for a cloudy dawn tomorrow so little chance of an early start from a nearby Walmart parking lot to catch sunrise at Tybee Island, which had been Plan A.

Battery bank down to 70% by the time I set up in the campsite at 4:00pm, requiring several hours of shore power to replenish which, unfortunately, causes the inverter/charger to heat up and the cooling fan to pump hot air into the interior of the Airstream, fighting the efforts of the A/C to cool things down. A vent to the outside would be a much better solution...

Also, on this occasion, the shore power breaker in the campsite tripped repeatedly, with simultaneous A/C and battery charging overloading it, until I decided to hook into the 50amp outlet.

Monday, September 22, 2025 - Fort McAllister State Park, GA

Very quiet night out in the boonies... greeted early morning by local wildlife calmly enjoying breakfast at my campsite.

Not really able to decide on a 3-week meander or 1-week direct route back to Texas. Heading north on the longer route should have offered some relief from the brutally high temperatures of the last 10 days but little indication of this in the forecast - though humidity would be lower away from the coast.

With checkout time approaching in the campground, I decided to spend another night here to give me time to consider options and figure out my route properly rather than making a hasty decision one way or another.

And the more direct, 1-week route is the winner... Booked up campgrounds for the days ahead, allowing a stationary day on Thursday to let a rain system blow through.

Tuesday, September 23, 2025 - Fort McAllister State Park, GA, to Camp David Resort, Columbus, GA

Out of the campground at 10:00am, making a first stop at a Publix store for some needed groceries and then at a truck stop on I-16 to run the rig across the CAT scales once again (to determine the effect of some relocation of items in the Airstream) and fill up on gas.

After which a late coffee brewed, back onto I-16 for 100 miles, pulling off at a rest area for a bite of lunch and then heading on the slightly longer but quicker main highway route to the overnight stop at a campground to the south of Columbus, conveniently located for an early stop tomorrow morning at a Planet Fitness gym.

Having run the A/C for the last couple of hours of the drive, the Lithium batteries were down at about 75% which meant - as was the case when arriving at Fort McAllister two days ago - that they were pulling such a high current from shore power that the A/C load couldn't be handled without tripping the pedestal breaker.

So until the bulk charging stage is completed, a ceiling fan and open door is the best that can be done to help evacuate the hot air being blown out from the hard-working charger.

Wednesday, September 24, 2025 - Camp David Resort, Columbus, GA, to Foscue Creek, Demopolis, AL

Took longer than planned to get out of the campground and to the Planet Fitness gym in nearby Phenix, so didn't start my work out until 8:30am. Not a huge gym, east facing floor to ceiling windows making the free weights area rather warm.

And it was warm in the Airstream, sitting in full sun in the parking lot, by the time I had finished up and took a shower.

Stopped for coffee and breakfast sandwich at a Starbucks en route before starting the day's drive, with a spell on I-85 to Montgomery before getting onto Route 80 west.

Pulled over in Selma for a quick bite of lunch, dark skies to the west as I resumed the drive and a few showers and wet roads encountered on the way to Demopolis, arriving at the campground at Foscue Creek a little after 2:30pm (now on Central Time after crossing into Alabama).

As a COE campground, infrastructure is better than most, and the site I'm in is very pleasantly situated beside the creek. And at $16 a night for full hook-up, with my Lifetime Senior Pass, quite a bargain.

Some welcome cooler air in the campground dropping down from nearby rain clouds although sprinkles didn't start until about 5:00pm. Hoping for more substantial rain overnight to wash accumulated dust off the truck and Airstream.

Thursday, September 25, 2025 - Foscue Creek, Demopolis, AL

Up and out at 7:00am to take advantage of the still-damp Airstream to wipe down the exterior, although to a degree I was just spreading the travel dust a little more evenly.

Still, my 90-minutes of wipe-down made me feel better and I think the Airstream does look a little better.

Much of the rest of the day checking off the list of accumulated "admin" - getting my truck booked in for a Ford recall repair (which I very much wanted done before our road trip); getting a final route and campgrounds sorted for the next 3 days on my run back to Texas; campground reservation back in College Station (including for the week I'm away in the BVI); checking tongue weight with the Sherline scale (which seems to have leaked a little oil and become "sticky" in its readout); and chatting with Ted for an hour.

Friday, September 26, 2025 - Foscue Creek, Demopolis, AL, to Vidalia, LA

Left the campground slightly later than planned at 9:30am, but no terrible challenge to the day's itinerary, which will include a grocery top-up in Laurel, MS.

Today's best laid plan out of the window 30 minutes later, however...

I heard, somewhat behind me, a soft "pop", which I assumed was something impacting the Airstream (hopefully on the steel rock guards or the solar guards on the windows).

But a routine glance shortly after that at the tire pressure monitor that I always have showing in the truck dash display indicated the rear driver side tire deflating steadily, so I had to choose the best option for pulling off the 4-lane highway, which was a sandy/gravelly patch opposite a median crossover.

Expecting to be able to inflate it sufficiently to make it to a nearby town, I started pulling out the tire pump only to watch the tire continue deflating until it was flat... Clearly no chance of keeping it aired up for any distance, so either a call to AAA or a put the spare on.

So I unhooked the Airstream and moved the truck a little further away from the road to offer me some protection as I worked on the tire change.

Accessing the spare tire, tucked behind the rear axle under the bed of the truck, proved to be quite a procedure - anyone bored can view a video guide to that here.

Much crawling around underneath the truck, on the sandy, litter-strewn surface, some grunting on the lug nuts and the spare tire was on, the flat humped into the rear passenger area of the truck and I was on my way to Meridian, MS, as the closest large town - not without a very late morning coffee and bagel in the Airstream, however, to sustain me.

The first tire shop after pulling off I-20 was essentially a rim dealer, but they confirmed my fear that the tire could not be repaired as the nail was too close to the sidewall.

Declining the offer of an off-brand replacement, I made my way to the local Ford dealer who, although they didn't have a matching tire in stock, helpfully called around and found one at Southern Tire Mart at the other end of town.

And so that's where I spent another happy hour of my day waiting for the new tire to be installed, but at least I was back in good shape to drive on.

3 hours behind schedule at this point, I decided I would still make a stop at a grocery store to get a late lunch and fill up with gas.

I finally arrived at the campground in Vidalia - only a couple of miles over the bridge across the Mississippi River at Natchez - at 6:45pm just as the sun was setting.

So... another incident to add to the archives of RVing fun and games.

Beer, dinner in the microwave, and bed.

Saturday, September 27, 2025 - Vidalia, LA, to Magnolia Ridge, Colmesneil, TX

Up early to get to the gym back across the Mississippi in Natchez just after they were supposed to open at 7:00am, only to have to wait 20 minutes for someone to turn up and open the store.

Back to the campground after my workout, hooked up the truck, cleaned up, made coffee and out of the campground at 11:00am.

A slightly tedious day of driving. Traffic ground to a halt after half an hour on the bridge over the Black River just outside Jonesville. Eventually crept forward far enough to peel off to try the back streets only to find those blocked by police car and so requiring a meander back to the highway which by then was moving freely.

Then a tour through small residential streets of Alexandria - courtesy of Google maps' attempt to minimize route distance - to another grocery store stop for top-up/lunch/gas.

I did, however, avoid the long detour I had to make when driving this road a couple of years ago in my motorhome as the Airstream is low enough at 10' to comfortably make the bridge crossing over the Sabine River.

Held up for 5 minutes crossing the B.A. Steinhagen Lake waiting for a green light on the one-way bridge replacement construction.

Eventually into the Magnolia Ridge campground, not quite what I was expecting from a COE location with crumbling roads and oddly spaced-out sites, and no view of the lake through the trees. All of which probably explains the modest $9 overnight camping fee...

But quiet, no other campers seen, friendly welcome from a camp host coming to the site in his golf cart, and a clear view of the sky for the Starlink dish.

Caught up on the Ryder Cup golf, unexpectedly found on one of only 7 OTA channels, then settled in for Saturday movie night - The Blues Brothers 1980 classic.

Sunday, September 28, 2025 - Magnolia Ridge, Colmesneil, TX to Washington, TX

The first cool morning - low 60s - for a couple of weeks.

Decided not to try to replace the spare tire back under the truck even though the truck was on clean tarmac as it would have meant unhooking from the Airstream and might turn out to be something of an open-ended project. So that will be the first agenda item tomorrow morning.

Out of the campground at 9:00am for the fairly straightforward drive to Washington, TX, where I'll be staying until moving to a campground in College Station.

Pulled over in Huntsville for coffee then back on the road, arriving in the familiar RV spot on Les's Washington property at 12:30pm, though rather an extended period of shuffling and leveling required to get the Airstream positioned and set up in the right spot, close enough to power and water utilities to not need extensions to hook up.

With the Starlink dish set up and connected, I tracked down the Ryder Cup coverage on Peacock to watch a tense couple of hours viewing until the European team clinched the win, a strong come-back performance from the American players threatening this until close to the end.

And then on to NFL games for the balance of the day's entertainment.

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